Currently, a number of methods and systems are used to clean up an oil spill from a water environment. In one approach, chemical dispersants are used to sink the oil or break it up so that it can be consumed and/or buried by natural processes. However, this keeps the oil present in the water environment for a long period of time. Other methods/systems are designed to absorb oil from the surface of the water using absorbing substances such as hay or human hair. Regardless of the absorbent used, the absorbing substance and the absorbed oil must then be incinerated which releases toxins into the atmosphere. Still other methods/systems are designed to bring large mixtures of oil and water to a shore-based processing location where lengthy oil/water separation processes are used. However, theses approaches are inefficient and slow.